soltakss wrote:Looks as though it could be cast on a shield - it is a solid surface and can be moved, both of which are explicitly referenced in the spell. As a GM, I'd rule that it could.

Actually, is there any reason that this couldn't be cast on an amulet or other small portable item? Allowing a Protective Wall to be inscribed on a small item may suit Swords and Sorcery settings where the evil sorcerer is invulnerable until a barbarian warrior gets behind him and smashes the amulet that is the source of his defences....

As it stands, there doesn't seem to be any relationship between the Intensity of the Protective Wall and the SIZ of the inscription - a simple solution might be to rule that the portable item must bearing the inscription must have one point of SIZ (or possibly ENC?) per point or two of Intensity. This helps prevent twinkery like inscribing a protective wall on the breastplate of your armour. I'm sure that some ambitious player will try this if they think they can get away with it.

I'd probably also rule that the Protective Wall does NOT stack with the natural AP of the item it is inscribed on - use the higher of the two values.

Here's a nasty Divine Magic spell for evil cults - it's great for evil priests who are cornered by the good guys....

Venom BreathInstant, Rank Priest, Resist (Resilience)
The caster breathes out a greenish cloud of venomous gas in a cone-shaped area with a length of POW / 2 in metres (rounded down). The base of the cone has a width equal to the Adventurer's POW / 4 (rounded down).

All living creatures within this area are exposed to a Poison with a Potency equal to the caster's Pact skill. Creatures that fail this opposed Resistance check immediately suffer Nausea. They must make a second Resistance roll on the next round or succumb to convulsions that halve their base Movement rate, Strike Rank, and all physical skills. Victims who fail the first two Resistance rolls must make a third Resistance roll on the following round or begin asphyxiating. Each Condition continues until the victim either succeeds in resisting the next stage in the progression, or the Duration expires. The poison has a maximum Duration equal to the caster's Pact skill divided by 10 (round down).

The green cloud of venomous gas created by this spell automatically dissipates on the caster's next Combat Action. Strong winds disperse the poisonous breath instantly, but it lingers for 1d4 rounds if cast in an enclosed space with minimal airflow. The caster is immune to the effects of their own venom breath, but their allies are not. Entities that do not need to breathe or that do not have metabolic processes - including elementals and undead - are always immune to the effects of this spell.

Yup, it's been fun creating spells for it, and every game I run seems to use at least three or four of the spells!

I wish I could just randomly think of new spells like Prime Evil manages too, but my brain doesn't work like that - it prefers to think up new spells as they are needed and problems are presented in game.

Which is why the amount of spells that can be attributed to me is so much less than others :/

Here are a couple of new spells for the holidays - and there are more on the way:

Divine Magic

SwarmDuration 15, Rank Initiate, Ranged
This spell summons a swarm of normal insects or arachnids native to the local environment. The swarm arrives at the location of the caster 1d4 Combat Rounds after the spell is cast. The rules on p37-38 of Monsters of Legend can be used to adjudicate the actions of the swarm. By default the size of the summoned swarm is Very Small. However, the caster can increase the size of the swarm by one category per point of Magnitude invested in the spell. The exact nature of the swarm is determined by the caster, but the creatures summoned must be of a type native to the region where the spell is cast. If the caster wishes to summon poisonous insects or arachnids (e.g. spiders, scorpions, or wasps), increase the Magnitude by one additional point and use the Insect Venom chart on page 38 of Monsters of Legend to determine the effects of the poison. This spell does not enable the caster to summon giant insects of any type.
The summoned swarm remains under the mental control of the caster for the entire duration of the spell. However, the swarm must remain close to the caster while the spell is in effect - if the swarm travels more than the POW x 2 meters from the caster it automatically disperses - ending the spell prematurely. The summoned swarm will not harm the caster but all other creatures caught within the swarm must make a Persistence test each round or suffer a -20% penalty to DEX-related Skill Tests and other tasks that require concentration.

Sorcery

ShapelockAutonomous, Resist (Special)
This spell forces a a werewolf or other shapeshifter to adopt a specific form. The victim becomes "locked" into the designated form for the duration of the spell. As with other Sorcery spells, the default duration of this spell is equal to the caster's Duration POW in minutes. However, the caster can extend this via Manipulation. If the Shape-Shifting skill from Vikings of Legend (p.161-162) is available in the campaign, this spell can also be used to trap enemy spellcasters in animal form or force them to revert to their original form. The target can attempt to resist the effects of this spell with an opposed test of Resilience of Shapeshifting (as appropriate) against the Grimoire skill of the caster.

RainproofMagnitude 2; Duration 15
This spell protects a single person or object from inclement precipitation such as rain, sleet, and snow. The maximum SIZ of the creature or item protected by the spell is equal to the caster's POW. If cast upon a living creature, the spell protects the recipient's clothing and and possessions in physical contact with them, providing that the protected items have an ENC of 3 or less. Even in a downpour, the target remains completely dry. Indeed, the target seems to 'repel' moisture for the duration of the spell - the recipient can step into a puddle or be splashed by a passing wagon and emerge unscathed. However, full immersion in any liquid automatically ends the spell. If the recipient falls into a stream or is pushed into a pond they will still be soaked. This spell does not protect the target against other weather-related effects such as high winds or low temperatures, nor does it provide any protection against water-based elemental magic.

Last edited by Prime_Evil on Fri May 22, 2015 12:40 am, edited 1 time in total.

I've largely been out of the gaming scene for a few months for medical reasons, but I haven't forgotten this project!

In fact, I'm back working on a number of new spells for the next version. This is hopelessly overdue, but i still hope to get it over the line.

iN the meantime, here's a new Divine Magic spell that I'd like some feedback on - basically, I'm not sure whether this is too powerful for what it does:

BlessDuration 15, Rank Priest, Touch.
The recipient of the blessing gains a single Hero Point that must be spent within the spell's duration. The Hero Point can only be spent to perform a heroic deed or to reduce the effects of injuries - it can't be used for purposes such as the purchase of Heroic Abilities. The use of the Hero Point must be consistent with the deity's sphere of influence - a war god might allow the Hero Point to be spent on an important attack roll, a goddess of love might allow it to be spent on a Seduction roll, and a god of smithcraft might allow it to be spent on a Craft roll, and so forth.

Because deities generally only bestow blessings upon their own worshipers, the recipient of this spell must be at least an initiate (Faction Rank 1) in the deity's cult to benefit from it. However, the GM may waive this requirement if the Priest achieves a Critical Success while casting the spell.

Multiple castings of the Bless spell do not stack. Indeed, once an individual has been blessed by their deity, they must wait at least seven days before receiving another blessing from the same deity. Reduce this waiting period by one day for each point of POW that the recipient has dedicated to the deity petitioned for the blessing (down to a minimum of one day).

Finally, most gods frown upon members of the priesthood who "spam" blessings upon their followers - if a priest casts more blessings than the amount of POW they have dedicated to their deity in a single week, the deity may refuse to answer further requests.

An individual who is an initiate in multiple cults can theoretically receive blessings from different deities, but this is rare - most gods dislike being petitioned to bless someone who has recently received a blessing from another deity. In this case, the caster must achieve a Critical Success on an Influence to convince the deity that the need is urgent (GM's discretion).

And here's a new Common Magic spell that's fairly simple, but may be useful in some situations. I'm thinking of writing up a series of new Common Magic spells that don't give bonuses to skill rolls, but rather enhance the capabilities of the skill itself, effectively letting the caster use a mundane skill to do something extraordinary.

ContemplationDuration 15, Magnitude 2
While this spell is in effect, the caster can make a Meditation roll to enter a deep trance in which she can recall events with perfect clarity. This enables the caster to use skills such as Perception, Insight, or Lore to 'remember' details from the past that her conscious mind has forgotten. The caster's intuition is heightened while in the contemplative trance and she gains a +10% bonus to these skills while recalling past events.

The amount of information that the caster can recover while in a contemplative trance is limited by the duration of the spell. The spell effectively allows the caster to interrogate the GM about an event or location viewed in the past - even if it was glimpsed only very briefly (e.g. "I counted five guard patrols as the ambassador escorted me into the emperor's audence chamber and can draw a map of the correct route through the maze surrounding the palace"). The caster can only recall events that she personally witnessed and that were visible from her viewpoint at that time.

The caster is still aware of her current surroundings while in the contemplative trance, but cannot move or take any actions while immersed in past events. If the trance is interrupted, the caster must make a Persistence roll with a difficulty determined by the sistaution or the spell instantly ends.

The next update is a big one, so maybe I should split it into two smaller releases - that way I can get something out quickly while polishing the more complex bits. What do you think?

In the meantime, here's another Common Magic spell for your enjoyment:

Earth SenseMagnitude 1, Instant

By making direct physical contact with the ground, the caster can sense the exact location of all living creatures within a radius equal to POW x 10. The caster can specify that he wishes to locate a specific type of living creature within this area - a certain species of animal or category of people with a particular physical characteristic (eg: "women with green eyes and black hair").

Furthermore, by concentrating on any specific creature detected within this area, the caster can make an Insight roll to gain a vague inkling of their nature or intentions (eg: "three orc raiders"). However, the information imparted by this spell is always general in nature and cannot be used to gain detailed information about the identity or intentions of creatures within the area - treat it as a brief mental impression of each individual. This spell cannot identify specific named individuals unless the caster is intimately familiar with them (GMs discretion).

This spell can only detect other creatures if they are in contact with the ground - it can't detect flying creatures or individuals who have climbed a tree or are in the second story of a building. In addition, it cannot detect the presence of undead creatures, spirits, or animated constructs such as golems.

Rikki Tikki Traveller wrote:I can see hunter and trackers using that one a lot!

That was the idea

It's easy to think up a generic spell allowing the caster to sense the life force of creatures within the area of effect, but hopefully this has a bit more flavour.

I'd probably allow the caster a roll against Lore (Nature) or Lore (Local) to identify the species of non-sentient creatures within the area of effect - I imagine that a skilled tracker would be able to tell the difference between the mind a deer and a lizard. Also, if a hostile supernatural creature (such as a demon) is within the area, this roll may impart a general sensation of "wrongness" about the entity.

That's true. And here's the rough draft of a new Common Magic spell that might be even more useful for a thief

DistractionInstant, Magnitude 1, Ranged
The caster creates a minor illusory noise designed to distract individuals within a radius equal to the caster's POW in meters. The caster might use this spell to create the noise of twigs snapping or a pebbles shifting underfoot in order to distract sentries stationed near an entrance to a stronghold (e.g. "What was that? We'd better check it out...").

The spell cannot simulate complex sounds such as voices, nor can it be used as part of a complex ruse - it's fine to create the faint rasp of a sword being drawn somehere in the shadows, but it's not possible to create the clangour of an alarm gong sounding in the distance. The effects of this spell are always subtle, intended to rouse the natural suspicions of listeners rather than to compel them towards a particular course of action.

Listeners must still make a Perception roll to hear the illusory sound - it is feasible that a group of inattentive guards might not notice the subtle distraction.

This spell does not enhance the caster's Stealth skill, but it does make it harder for guards to detect intruders while investigating the distraction. If sentries need to make an opposed Perception roll against the caster's Stealth, they suffer a -20% penalty on the round after this spell is cast. Once this period has passed, the effects of the distraction fade (e.g. "Must have been nothing. Probably just a cat..."). In essence, this spell buys the caster a single opportunity to slip past undetected.

Repeated castings of this spell are less effective, with the distraction penalty being reduced by 5-10% each time. However, creative casters may use this to encourage guards to ignore a real disturbance originating from the same direction (GM's discretion). If in doubt, allow the guards to make an Insight roll to realize that they have been duped (e.g. "That's no cat! Someone's over there...")